Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

Approximately 50 households have been or are being evicted from the Shannon Arms apartment complex in Limerick city centre. The notices to quit were issued to households that include a woman who is eight months pregnant, a person with terminal cancer and a family with five kids. Several landlords are involved in issuing the totality of these notices to quit. One of them is the Supermac's boss, Pat McDonagh. Many of these families face eviction into homelessness. On average, just six homes are available to rent in Limerick city each month. I congratulate the tenants on choosing to organise and fight back and the Community Action Tenants Union on the help it has given them.

Does the Taoiseach agree these landlords should meet face to face with these tenants and their representatives to discuss the issues at hand? Does he accept that his decision and that of his Government to end the ban on evictions is directly responsible not merely for the fact more than 10,000 people are now forced to live in emergency accommodation but also for the very particular nightmare these people in Limerick are being forced to live through?

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